Friday, February 18, 2011

I before E except after C !

A Mnemonic device is a memory aid that provides a method for organizing information to make it more easily remembered. Much of what we learn in school is simple memorization. There have been many studies done that suggest using mnemonics actually improves the ability to apply the information remembered. The human brain likes patterns. When we learn something new, our brain tries to find an association between the new information and the stuff we already know. There are many different types of mnemonics; acrostic sentences, acronyms, rhymes, phrases, keyword mnemonics, loci mnemonics, and narrative chaining.
In my classroom mnemonics are used daily to assist our students with remembering. One example: DCAP-BTLS is used when looking for injuries on trauma patients. It stands for Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures, Penetrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations and Swelling.
I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t used Mnemonics at one time or another whether for yourselves or in your classrooms. As rare as it may be I have heard some people say you should learn the concept and not just memorize letters. Does anyone have any personal experiences or funny stories with mnemonics that they would like to share?

5 comments:

  1. Elizabeth you made some very interesting points. I remember when I was studying programming. Some of the concepts I had to remember were pretty difficult so I would make my own mnemonics in order to remember them and it acutally did help. Also, my son took a spanish class last semester and because he doesn't speak spanish too well, I would give him key words to remember the words in spanish so he could score better on his test. I think it does make a difference; sometimes memorizing does really make a difference.

    ReplyDelete
  2. When students learn the ABC’s they can sing the “ABC” song. There is also a really sweet book called, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom that teaches the alphabet in rhyme. I highly recommend listening to a kindergartner read this book. It is very precious indeed! Students can also learn the 50 states in alphabetical order with the song “Fifty Nifty United States”. I always remember how to spell the word friend by saying to myself, “Self, a friend is a friend to the end.” The word friend always ends with end. I also remember Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. This helps me remember the order of operations, Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subract.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In the chapter 4 class discussion Dr. Yang jolted my first memory of a mnemonic from my childhood. My fondest memory of the introduction to mnemonics was my 6th grade science teacher who taught me the one for the order of the planets like the example in the book. I think it's amazing how 24 years later I was able to remember that instance when Mr. Allen taught me the shortcut for remembering the planets. What was surprising was that reciting the order of the planets is not something I practice much in my daily life, yet it was definitely stored in my long term memory. Posted by Catherine Mendoza

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mnemonics are a great way for kids and adults to learn and remember things. I will always remember the order of the planets by using mnemonics. I also know that in the classroom, I have encouraged students to come up with mnemonics to help them remember concepts that seem difficult. The students seemed to do better, and always came up with cute phrases to remember what needed to be learned.

    ReplyDelete
  5. In the music classroom we use Mnemonics to memorize the names of the lines and spaces of the staff. Traditionally for the lines it is E very G ood B oy D oes F ine. I once had a class come up with their own and one PARTICULAR student said: E very G ood B utt D oes F art. Middle school, what can I say. I thanked him for his contribution and moved on with my TRADITIONAL lesson.

    ReplyDelete